bassmaster classic

Dock Talk: Classic 2026

Lots of tactics and baits in play on the Tennessee River. Here are predictions on how it could shake out.

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Photography by
Andy Crawford
Captions by
Craig Lamb
Welcome to the Classic Edition of Dock Talk in downtown Knoxville, Tenn., where we get answers to questions everyone wants to know, and you get to decide if it’s fact or just “dock talk.” We produced this Dock Talk from Governor Ned McWherter/Riverside Landing Park, also known as official launch site of the 2026 Bass Pro Shops Bassmaster Classic presented by Under Armour. 
Above normal high temperatures of the past two weeks are motivating prespawn movement of smallmouth (mostly in Tellico) and largemouth (mostly in Fort Loudoun). Preliminary reports from the three-day “unofficial” practice that went into the weekend indicated the fish are on the go. That will make this Classic interesting to follow, as the fish and anglers stay in constant motion. Will one pattern be sufficient or will it take a daily changeup through Sunday? Shallow, deep or both? Here’s what we discovered after the one, and only, official practice day. 
Laker Howell
“I’m hoping it will be won on Tellico. There are lots of boats (and fish) down there,” Howell said. “Loudoun could be the outlier though if the largemouth bite turns on.
“The main factor is, and it’s why I came back nearly one hour early, is the fuel burn and obviously how far down you go. I made it back with 3 percent of a tank.” 
To clarify, there is a marina with gas pumps, however Howell wanted to calculate fuel burn based on the additional time it could take to refuel.
Shane LeHew
“I think there will be an outlier pattern that will take to win it, to catch a couple of bigger fish each day,” LeHew said. 
“Most of those bigger fish will come from using lLveScope, be it shallow or a bit deeper,” he added. 
“Overall, yes it will take using multiple patterns to get a solid base weight.” 
Paul Marks
“I’m going to be rotating through crankbaits, minnows and Neko rigs,” Marks said. 
“My fish are in 10 feet or less of water, I do know that much,” he added. 
Marks also nearly ran out of fuel on the way back to Knoxville, a strong indication that he’s making the run to Tellico. 
Wesley Gore
“I think the winner could have one pattern but I’m running multiple patterns. I’m planning to burn a lot of fuel, run a lot of water, utilize deep and shallow fish,” Gore said. 
“This is my fourth day on the water and today was better than the others. It’s not hard to get a bite,” he said. 
“I predict there will be a lot more limits with the cut line at 12 1/2 pounds a day and 17 or 18 a day to win.”
Seth Feider
“Yeah, for everyone else it’ll probably take multiple patterns, but I’m not doing that,” Feider said. 
“I’m just going to junk fish, cover water because that’s my style.
“My plan is to hit areas where I can duplicate along the way but not relying on any one particular pattern.”
Fisher Anaya
“You must adapt because the fish are on the move,” Anaya said. “Some of the fish are in prespawn.”
“The fish are going to see a lot of techniques in play, shallow and deep,” he continued.
“I’m just going to take it a day at a time, keep an open mind.”
Bob Downey
“The three-day Classic format, actually two to make the final cut, is much different than the timeframe of the Elite tournaments,” Downey said. “You don’t have the chance to recover after a bad day, obviously.
“I hope to just get off to a decent start on Friday and build from there,” he said. ““I’m going to get on the bank, keep it simple and grind it out there.” 
Drew Cook
“For me it won’t be sight fishing the entire time; I might be able to catch one or two big ones off the bed and then factor in other tactics,” Cook said. 
“For fishing down the bank, it won’t be just a one thing kind of a deal. 
“It would be phenomenal to be able to keep it up and wait for the fish to come to you on the bank. But that’s not going to happen with the heavy rain we’ll get Wednesday night, and the freezing temperatures on Thursday night.”

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